At least 13 people were killed and 30 others injured following a collision between a bus, a truck and a minivan in Bihar’s Katihar district on Saturday evening, a police officer said.
Police Inspector Shekhar Chaudhary told reporters that the accident occurred at 6:30 pm on NH-31 in Kuda area of Katihar.
Chief Minister Nitish Kumar announced felicitations $2 lakh to the next of kin of each deceased, and $50,000 for each wounded person.
While initial reports indicated that seven people died in the accident, six of the injured died during treatment.
A local police official said that the passengers traveling in the pickup truck were coming from the neighboring Purnia district.
He said how the accident occurred was under investigation. It is suspected that the bus driver, who was among those injured, lost control of the vehicle, which led to the accident.
According to a statement issued by the district police, all the injured were transferred to the nearest government hospital in Purnia.
The statement added that officials are trying to confirm the identity of the deceased.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar expressed grief over people killed in the accident and expressed his thanks to the relatives of the deceased.
“The Prime Minister announced…a donation $2 lakh for each immediate family member of the deceased from the Prime Minister Relief Fund. And also announced $An official statement said: “50 thousand for each person injured in the accident.”
Kumar also directed officials to ensure better treatment of the injured.
